Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study shows promise and potential risk in reversing hearing loss using inner ear stem cells

Want to restore hearing by injecting stem cells into the inner ear? Well, that can be a double-edged sword.

7 Nov 2017

Immune system plays surprising role in the aftermath of heart attacks, study finds

A study led by Kevin King, a bioengineer and physician at the University of California San Diego, has found that the immune system plays a surprising role in the aftermath of heart attacks. The research could lead to new therapeutic strategies for heart disease.

7 Nov 2017

Drug can safely and effectively help infants with SMA gain muscle function, study shows

More than half of the babies with infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who were treated with nusinersen (Spinraza) gained motor milestones, compared to none of the babies in the control group. Infants treated with the drug also had 63 percent lower risk of death.

6 Nov 2017

Scientists identify eight new genes involved in epileptic encephalopathy

Approximately 30 per cent of patients with epilepsy do not respond to anti-epileptic drugs. In these cases, all neurologists can do is attempt to find the right combination of medication through trial and error.

6 Nov 2017

Research casts light on how chromosomes 'cheat' for chance to get into a sex cell

Each of your cells contains two copies of 23 chromosomes, one inherited from your father and one from your mother. Theoretically, when you create a gamete -- a sperm or an egg -- each copy has a 50-50 shot at being passed on. But the reality isn't so clearcut.

3 Nov 2017

Research provides path to possible treatment for Fragile X Syndrome and other types of autism

In Fragile X Syndrome--the leading genetic form of intellectual disability and autism--the effects of a single defective gene ripple through a series of chemical pathways, altering signals between brain cells.

3 Nov 2017

Study: Diverse autism symptoms may stem from malfunction in communication among brain cells

A defective gene linked to autism influences how neurons connect and communicate with each other in the brain, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Rodents that lack the gene form too many connections between brain neurons and have difficulty learning.

3 Nov 2017

Environmental toxin exposure may disrupt function of circadian clock, research shows

Can environmental toxins disrupt circadian rhythms - the biological "clock" whose disturbance is linked to chronic inflammation and a host of human disorders? Research showing a link between circadian disruption and plankton that have adapted to road salt pollution puts the question squarely on the table.

3 Nov 2017

New study shows link between gut bacteria and age-related chronic inflammation

A new study shows for the first time that gut bacteria from old mice induce age-related chronic inflammation when transplanted into young mice.

3 Nov 2017

Four main genes linked to survival of pancreatic cancer patients

Alterations in four main genes are responsible for how long patients survive with pancreatic cancer, according to a new study in JAMA Oncology.

3 Nov 2017

Study solves critical piece of deafness puzzle by identifying long non-coding RNAs

A new Tel Aviv University study solves a critical piece of the puzzle of human deafness by identifying the first group of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the auditory system.

2 Nov 2017

Discovery of genetic markers could guide individualized treatments for advanced prostate cancer

Researchers at Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have uncovered genetic clues to why tumors resist a specific therapy used for treating advanced prostate cancer.

2 Nov 2017

Inflammation in mid-life may be linked to brain shrinkage decades later

People who have biomarkers tied to inflammation in their blood in their 40s and 50s may have more brain shrinkage decades later than people without the biomarkers, according to a study published in the November 1, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The brain cell loss was found especially in areas of the brain that are affected by Alzheimer's disease.

2 Nov 2017

Scientists identify treatments that may restore brain function to autism patients

Scientists have identified a pair of treatments that may restore brain function to autism patients who lack a gene critical to maintaining connections between neurons, according to a study from the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

1 Nov 2017

Studies identify key characteristics that may allow some obese people to have 'healthier' fat tissue

One little understood paradox in the study of obesity is that overweight people who break down fat at a high rate are less healthy than peers who store their fat more effectively.

1 Nov 2017

PARP inhibitors may have efficacy in selected TNBC patients outside of germline BRCA mutation

The investigational PARP inhibitor talazoparib caused regression of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) that had BRCA mutations and also those that did not have BRCA mutations but had other alterations in DNA damage-repair pathways.

1 Nov 2017

Conference to focus on preventing and reversing consequences of sickle cell disease

Leading experts in the field of sickle cell disease (SCD) research will convene in Washington, D.C., for the Physiological and Pathophysiological Consequences of Sickle Cell Disease conference (November 6–8). The conference, organized by the American Physiological Society, will explore SCD- the world's most prevalent single-gene mutation disease - and new research on preventing and reversing its deadly consequences.

1 Nov 2017

Non-invasive diagnostic tool developed for early detection of ovarian cancer

Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to develop a new technique to detect ovarian cancer early and accurately.

31 Oct 2017

Our chromosomes also wrinkle with age, research shows

Grey hair, wisdom, and wrinkles on our skin mark us as we age, but it's the more subtle changes beneath the surface that make us old. Now, researchers have discovered that our chromosomes also wrinkle with age, changing how our immune system renews itself.

31 Oct 2017

Study shows effects of prenatal BPA exposure at low levels in developing rodent brain

New research from North Carolina State University reveals that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) at levels below those currently considered safe for humans affects gene expression related to sexual differentiation and neurodevelopment in the developing rat brain.

31 Oct 2017

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Study shows promise and potential risk in reversing hearing loss using inner ear stem cells

Immune system plays surprising role in the aftermath of heart attacks, study finds

Drug can safely and effectively help infants with SMA gain muscle function, study shows

Scientists identify eight new genes involved in epileptic encephalopathy

Research casts light on how chromosomes 'cheat' for chance to get into a sex cell

Research provides path to possible treatment for Fragile X Syndrome and other types of autism

Study: Diverse autism symptoms may stem from malfunction in communication among brain cells

Environmental toxin exposure may disrupt function of circadian clock, research shows

New study shows link between gut bacteria and age-related chronic inflammation

Four main genes linked to survival of pancreatic cancer patients

Study solves critical piece of deafness puzzle by identifying long non-coding RNAs

Discovery of genetic markers could guide individualized treatments for advanced prostate cancer

Inflammation in mid-life may be linked to brain shrinkage decades later

Scientists identify treatments that may restore brain function to autism patients

Studies identify key characteristics that may allow some obese people to have 'healthier' fat tissue

PARP inhibitors may have efficacy in selected TNBC patients outside of germline BRCA mutation

Conference to focus on preventing and reversing consequences of sickle cell disease

Non-invasive diagnostic tool developed for early detection of ovarian cancer

Our chromosomes also wrinkle with age, research shows

Study shows effects of prenatal BPA exposure at low levels in developing rodent brain

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging